


Midnight Stroll

by MoonCat163



Category: Loki Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Loki’s Library, Second chapter gets a little spicy, Tumblr: imagine-loki, Use your imagination, Waking in Loki’s bed by accident, just fluff, sleepwalker - Freeform, unspoken feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:22:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28781934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCat163/pseuds/MoonCat163
Summary: Imagine that you struggle with sleep walking, and one night you manage to get to Loki’s room. The next morning he wakes to find you snuggled against his back, and wonders how you ever got past the security spells he’d cast.
Relationships: Loki/Reader
Comments: 22
Kudos: 224





	1. Chapter 1

You’ve been up for close to seventy-two hours straight, copying VHS surveillance tapes to digital in an attempt to isolate and identify players suspected of gearing up for a major weapons heist. Any attempts to make you rest before you collapsed were rebuffed: you were determined to complete the process and make positive ID’s as soon as you could. 

“Hey.”

The greeting was soft so that you weren’t startled when Steve came up behind you. He glanced over the monitors before looking at you. 

“Hey, Cap,” you replied, and turned your head slightly. “I’m almost done, just have about twelve hours left-“

“That's why I’m here,” he said. “You’ve been at it for close to three days, and you need to rest.”

“I’m good,” you protested. “Jarvis has already isolated footage for me, I just have to-“

“Rest,” he said, firmly. “Jarvis, bookmark where she’s at, but she’s not allowed to start again until she’s eaten and slept.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But I-“ You turned your chair to face Steve after the computer monitors went blank. 

“No.” He urged you out of the chair and then ushered you from the room. “Tony agrees, and none of us want you to become overtired.”

You still wanted to protest, but there wasn’t any point in doing so. Jarvis wouldn’t allow you to access the files until Tony or Steve agreed to it, and there wasn’t a way to subvert the AI. You knew this because you’d tried several times, just to see if you could and to see how badly you could annoy Tony. 

You had managed one small victory: you’d renamed some of his music files, so that instead of the heavy metal songs he liked to blare at random, Jarvis would end up playing teen bop songs. Tony didn’t talk to you for a week after that, although you could see by the gleam in his eyes that he was slightly impressed by the feat. 

Computers had always been your ‘thing’, and you could set up networks and track down problems in record time. When you worked with the electronics, your mind visualized the connections and routes in schematic form, enabling you to pinpoint the failing areas. When it came to analyzing data, you could do so just as quickly.

Steve led you to the elevator, and the ride up to the Avengers’ level was made in silence, then his hand in the small of your back guided to the dining table, where the rest of the team sat. 

“Glad you could join us,” Tony said, grinning when you cut your eyes at him. 

You sat down across from Loki and Thor, then helped your plate with food as it was passed to you. You offered them both a tired smile, which Thor returned with a wink. Loki nodded, and although he didn’t smile, his green eyes were lit with amusement. A warmth spread through your veins, making it hard to look away from him, but you finally managed. 

_If only he wasn’t such eye candy,_ you thought. _Or maybe such a snack...a tall, tall, snack…snack-a-licious…_

You smothered a giggle that almost escaped, but then strangled on the sip of water you’d just taken. While you coughed into your napkin, Bucky tried to help by patting your back, but his strength knocked you forward enough where you almost face-planted into your plate. 

“Bucky!” 

“Sorry.”

You composed yourself while keeping your attention on your food. You weren’t very hungry, even though you’d subsisted only on coffee, protein snacks and candy over the last few days. As you began to eat, it became difficult to keep your eyes open. Now that you were still and quiet, the lack of sleep caught up with you fast. The others watched as your head began to drop lower and lower, until your fork clattered onto the plate as you fell asleep while sitting upright. 

“Come on, sleepyhead.” Steve scooped you up and carried you to your apartment, where he put you to bed. 

— —

Later that night, Tony was still in the common room when you padded quietly on bare feet into the kitchen. You went to the fridge and stared at its contents for several minutes before taking out a yogurt cup. 

He watched as you shuffled to a drawer for a spoon, and he started to ask if you needed help when you struggled to open the yogurt, but you did manage to get the lid off after a couple of minutes. 

“Are you alright?” He asked as you consumed the yogurt in four large spoonfuls. 

You didn’t respond, just dropped the spoon into the sink, and the empty cup into the garbage, and left. Once back in your apartment, you crawled into bed, pulled up the covers and went back to sleep. 

— —

Several hours later, Loki stirred from a deep sleep when something woke him. He listened for any movement in his apartment, but all was quiet. Something wasn’t right, though, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

He started to get up, but then realized what had disturbed him: a warmth against his back, along with a bare arm across his waist. To say that he was stunned would be an understatement, since neither should be there. 

Loki carefully grasped his bedfellow’s wrist and raised it enough to try to determine who had invaded his space, and he didn’t need three guesses when he recognized the intruder’s bracelet. 

_Pixel._

He couldn’t help but think of you by the nickname that Tony had burdened you with due to your computer skills. None of that was important, however. What _was_ important was why you were in his bed, and how you had managed to avoid the spells that he cast each night that would alert him to any intruders. It was a habit that he kept, even though it was unlikely that he’d be attacked in his own suite, and he felt a bit uneasy that you hadn’t triggered any of them. 

Loki carefully shifted until he faced you, and the movement was enough to turn you on your back. He braced up on one elbow while he looked into your face, and recognized the exhaustion it reflected. He knew that you’d been working hard on the surveillance videos; too hard, it seemed. He frowned at that, and decided to speak to Stark about letting you stay awake for days on end, as it wasn’t necessary since Jarvis could easily help run comparisons. 

“Hey, Pixel.” 

He brushed hair out of your face before shaking you gently, but you didn’t stir. He tried again, with no success: you were dead to the world. He considered taking you back to your own bed, but an urge for mischief kept him from doing so. He rather wanted to see what your reaction would be come morning. So, he adjusted position slightly so that your head was pillowed on his arm, then he put the other arm across you and pulled you closer. 

— —

Early the next morning, well before dawn, you awoke slowly to find that something was very, very _wrong._

Your sheets were softer than you recalled, you were curled against someone’s side, with your head on their shoulder, _and_ this someone had their arms around you. Slowly, carefully, you sat up, and the shock when you recognized your bedfellow had you turning toward the edge of the bed. 

_Loki._

Before you could disengage fully from his embrace, he turned with you, and drew you even closer to his chest, where he held you firmly. You laid still for a couple of minutes, not wanting to disturb him, hoping to escape before he woke. Then you carefully tried moving his arm from across your waist so that you could slide from beneath it. 

“What’s the fuss, pet?” Loki asked, sleepily. 

“Why are you in my room?”

 _“Your_ room?” You felt his smile against your temple. 

_“My_ room! And _my_ bed!”

“Are you certain about that?”

Your brow furrowed in confusion while you slowly looked around, then your mouth fell open in astonishment when you realized where you were. Nope, not your room, but his. 

“How did I get in here??”

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” He asked, while burying his nose in your hair. “How you got in, _and_ got past my security measures.”

“I don’t—wait, _security measures?_ You mean booby traps?” You whispered, aghast. 

He almost laughed aloud at that, and would have if your tone hadn’t been so horrified at the notion of triggering one of his spells. 

“Don’t worry, Pixel, there isn’t anything that will cause lasting harm,” he chuckled. “So, first order of business: why did you come here?”

“I’m not...oh...cripes…” you rubbed your face with a groan. 

“Yes?”

“I’m so sorry...I must have been sleepwalking.”

“Oh?”

“I haven’t done it in months, though...I guess being up for close to four days straight triggered it.”

“I see,” Loki mused over that for a moment. “But how did you get past my spells?”

“I don’t know, I really don’t,” you replied. “Are you sure they’re still intact...never mind, forget I asked.”

You’d backtracked on the question when his arm tightened slightly; you could imagine that his expression would remind you that he was a master sorcerer who was at least nine hundred years in age, and that he would know if his spells had failed. 

“I should go,” you told him as you tried again to move his arm. “I’m very sorry for invading your space…”

“It’s early yet, why not stay?” He asked. “You’re delightfully warm.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I should.” 

You were painfully aware that your gown’s thin straps left your arms and shoulders bare, and the hem only reached to your knees. There was no way that Loki hadn’t noticed it either, just as it hadn’t escaped _your_ notice that his chest was bare. Thankfully, you could tell that he had on pajama bottoms. Thank God for small mercies. 

“I was a perfect gentleman last night,” he commented. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do,” you replied, quickly. _But do I trust myself?_

Loki hummed softly before he ran his hand down your arm and changed your gown into one that covered you from your chin to your feet, and from your shoulders to your wrists. You were quite sure the thing would strangle you, since you were a restless sleeper. 

“Geez, did you raid Steve’s grandmother’s closet??”

“Just trying to be helpful,” he replied with a chuckle, before he changed the gown again. 

This time it was a green shirt with flowing sleeves, open neckline and a shorter hem which reached your knees. It wasn’t lost on you that he’d put you in his color. 

“Better?” He asked. 

“Yes, thank you,” you replied. “But I should go....”

He held you more firmly, and drew his legs up behind yours to trap you further. He was reluctant to let you go now that you were in his arms. He’d watched you for months now, slowly warming up since you treated him the same as anyone else, perhaps even better. He wasn’t sure how you’d managed to get under his skin, but he found himself wondering how it would feel to hold you, to kiss you...to have you. 

When Loki refused to let you up, your heart began to race at the implications. Was he interested in you? Or just being mischievous because you had accidentally climbed into his bed? Either way, the proximity to his bare skin had you shaking; it wouldn’t take much for you to give in to his request. 

“I’d like for you to stay,” he whispered, before he’d turned your face toward him. 

When his lips found yours in a gentle kiss, your reticence flew out the window. 

_Yep, that did it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I had intended on leaving this as a one-shot, but was encouraged to add a second part. I hope that it lives up to expectations.

That morning, you woke slowly, and took a deep breath. For a moment, you didn’t recall where you were, but then remembered what had happened. And if you were _still_ unsure, the realization that you were wrapped in Loki’s arms would have jogged the memory. 

Sometime after you’d gone back to sleep, you had turned toward him, and now were anchored against his chest, and tucked under his chin. He had you snugged as closely as possible, making it almost impossible to move; he had even pinned your ankles down when he placed his lower leg over them. 

The only limb that was free was the arm that you had across his side; his skin was warm, and you were sure that you felt a scar on his back, under your fingertips. You managed to tilt your head slightly, and breathed in his scent. You weren’t sure if he wore cologne, but he smelled good. 

“Jarvis? What time is it?” You asked, after taking another deep breath. 

“It’s nine-thirty AM.”

“Thanks.”

Now you were faced with a dilemma: how were you to avoid waking a warrior god/prince? It didn’t take much thought to determine that you’d have to be very careful. He could break you in half with very little effort, and that was something you wanted to avoid. So, you managed to move his arm so that you could push carefully against his chest, just a little at a time. Then you pulled your feet free; Loki stirred a bit, but then settled down again. Now you were able to get to the edge of the bed and get up. 

You stood there briefly just to look at him, and found yourself reluctant to leave him. You hadn’t the faintest idea before now that he might be interested in you, as he’d not given you any extra attention. When you did interact with him, he was aloof most times, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. With one last glance, you quietly left him and his warm embrace. 

— —

Once you slipped into the hallway, you hoped that no one was around to see you leave Loki’s apartment while wearing only the green shirt he’d given you. Luckily, no one was hovering around, so you got into your own apartment and got ready to face the day. 

When you entered the kitchen, Steve and Bucky were there, drinking coffee at the table and talking. 

“Good morning,” Steve greeted you when you sat down across from him with the toast and scrambled eggs that you’d quickly whipped up. “All rested up?”

“Yep, and ready to finish up those tapes,” you replied. 

“Good. Tony tells me that you came to the kitchen last night, and were acting strangely.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Are you alright?”

“Sure,” you replied, with a smile. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

Steve accepted that explanation with a nod. After you’d finished eating, you headed to the media lab to finish copying the VHS tapes.

— — —

Loki woke shortly after you left, and noticed immediately that you were gone. That was disappointing, since it had been so nice to have your warmth against him; he’d slept better than he had in ages. It was something that he could get used to, so he planned to experience it more often. 

He was _very_ interested and attracted to you, but since he hadn’t expressed an interest before now, wondered if things might be moving a bit too fast. After all, you were in his bed due to a sleepwalking episode, but once you learned where you were, you hadn’t run out screaming in fear. 

Maybe you felt the same way, he mused. He decided that he should at least ask you out for coffee or something so that he could find out. With that, he got up, dressed, and went into the kitchen. While his tea steeped, he toasted several bagels for his breakfast. 

“You’re finally up,” Tony said, as he came into the kitchen for more coffee. “It’s not like you to sleep so late. Are you feeling alright?”

“Of course,” Loki replied, but didn’t elaborate. He knew that Jarvis could tell Tony anything that he wanted to know, although the AI didn’t monitor the actual apartments unless asked to. 

“Good, good.” Tony nodded. “Pixel’s almost done with the video tapes, and Jarvis is already running comparisons.”

“That’s good,” Loki commented, idly. “Did she eat breakfast before she started again?”

 _Oops, he hadn’t meant to ask that._

Loki picked up his tea and bagels before heading to the table, while Tony gave him a surprised look. Then Tony’s expression changed to a calculating one, almost as if he’d sniffed out Loki’s true intent for asking such a question. 

“I’m sure she did. Why do you ask?”

“Because she barely ate any dinner last night before falling asleep where she sat,” Loki replied. “You really shouldn’t allow her to stay awake for days on end. While the rest of us, well, most of us, can do with little to no sleep, most mortals can’t.”

“I see your point. Jarvis, did Pixel eat breakfast?”

“Yes, sir.”

“There you have it,” Tony said, as he refilled his coffee. 

“I hope she had something more substantial than the coffee beverage and candy.”

“Scrambled eggs, toast and bacon.” The AI quickly supplied the information. 

“Anything else you’d like to know?” 

Loki raised an annoyed eyebrow at him, but said nothing. 

“If you go to check on her, you might take her a refill on coffee.”

— — —

You were making good progress on getting the remaining tapes fed to Jarvis, who in turn analyzed them and marked anything of interest for you and Tony to look at. Jarvis could view them far quicker than you could, but he couldn’t physically change the tapes out. You were in a rhythm by the time Loki quietly entered the lab: tape in, watch a flagged piece of footage, tape out, then start all over. 

“Good afternoon,” he finally greeted you as he moved toward an empty chair. 

“Oh, hey!” You turned toward him when he surprised you. 

“I brought coffee,” he said. “Stark suggested it.”

“Thank you, I was about to stop long enough to get some,” you replied, with a smile. “What brings you down here?”

“You didn’t wake me before you left.”

“Oh.” You weren’t sure how to reply to that. “Did you want me to? You were sleeping so good that I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Loki didn’t respond right away while he debated on how to answer you. He didn’t want to seem so vulnerable and admit that he’d slept better with you curled against him. Showing weakness was not something he normally would do, and he’d been trained from an early age _not_ to do it.

“Next time, wake me.”

_Next time?!_

Your eyes widened while he groaned internally and turned to look at the monitors to compose himself. You took that moment to change a tape, and mark it before putting it into the ‘completed’ bin. 

“So, lunch? Are you at a stopping point? I’d like to take you out of the building, if you can…”

“Mr. Stark says that she sure is at a stopping point,” Jarvis piped in. 

“Jarvis, is Tony listening in? Because if he is, he’ll be listening to ‘Madam Butterfly’ for a month,” you told the AI.

“He says...he’s not.”

“Hmmm.” You changed out another tape quickly. “Lunch sounds good. Thank you.”

— —

After that initial day where Loki took you to lunch, he made a habit of checking on you while you worked, wanting to make sure that you didn’t forget to sleep or eat properly. You weren’t used to having someone fuss over you so much, at least not since you’d left home, so it was nice, especially when it came from him. 

Tony teased him a couple of times, but when Jarvis played an opera at full blast at random times, such as three o’clock in the morning, he stopped because Pepper rightfully blamed him, and threatened to sleep elsewhere. He called a truce, so you reversed the changes you made to Jarvis, but Tony knew that he’d better not tease Loki again. You threatened to play the theme song for ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’, and Tony knew that Pepper likely would divorce him if that happened. 

Then came the time for them to leave on a mission. Since you weren’t a fighter, you stayed behind to help with any digital analysis that they might need. Before they scrambled for a quinjet, Loki came to the lab to say goodbye. 

“Be careful,” you told him, while he held both your hands, his fingers interlaced with yours. 

“Of course,” he replied. 

Then he dropped your hands before lifting you to eye level. Your arms went around his neck as he kissed you with a wealth of feelings. Over the last few weeks, he’d kissed you, but not like this. When he set you down, your legs were like jelly, which made you cling to him until you could stand properly. 

“Hurry back,” you whispered.

He nodded, and gave your cheek a gentle caress, and then he was gone. 

— —

The mission lasted for several weeks; it was after midnight when they finally got home. Jarvis informed Loki that you had asked to be woken when they did return, but Loki told him not to, that you needed your rest. 

Once in his apartment, Loki showered and went to bed, but decided to read for a while since he wasn’t sleepy yet. He was engrossed in his book, and didn’t notice when you slipped quietly into the room. When he finally looked up, he found you staring at him while you toyed with the laces on the shirt he’d given you.   
  
Jarvis had woken you anyway, and it annoyed you that Loki overrode your request, so you got up and made a beeline to him. You intended to give him a stern lecture, but that thought died when you saw him.

“Pixel?” He said, softly.

You didn’t respond, but walked around the bed and slid under the covers before scooting over to him. Loki put the book aside when you laid your head on his shoulder, and placed your arm over his chest. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, once again realizing that you’d not triggered his spells as you moved through his apartment. He decided not to dwell on it any longer, as it appeared that it was meant to be. 

“Yes.”

“Not sleepwalking?”

“No.”

“How can I be sure?”

“Decide for yourself.” 

With that, you kissed him with the same intensity as his parting kiss before he left on the mission. He knew then that you had intentionally come to him, so he pulled you closer, and then rolled you beneath him. 

You gasped at the quick move, but then gasped for another reason when his hands dove under your shirt. 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “Terribly.”

“Same here.”

The shirt disappeared, leaving nothing but bare skin that he caressed almost reverently. You were flawless, he decided, even though you might disagree. Along with that, you were warm, and so soft...and it was unlikely that he’d tire of touching you. 

You wrapped yourself around him once he moved over you; your thoughts mirrored his somewhat. Your hands slid along his spine, with your fingertips finding the old scars on his back. If you could, you would gladly prevent him from getting any more of them. 

— — —

“You’re alright. I have you.”

The voice in your ear was low and calming, soothing you when you couldn’t respond or even move. Your eyes were half closed, but you couldn’t make sense of your surroundings. Your whole body thrummed with something akin to a low electrical current, and even the slightest puff of air sent a flair through you.

“I have you.” That voice again, along with a movement at your side. A soft mewl escaped your lips when a hand gently stroked your hair back from your face. “Shhh, I have you.”

—

Loki leaned close to press a kiss to your temple after he’d brushed your hair off your face. You barely responded, but he held you close while he whispered to you. He ran his hand along your arm and shoulder before rubbing your stomach. His touch was firm enough not to tickle, nor to hurt you. He’d already gently wiped you down with a warm washcloth, now he simply held you as he propped himself up beside you. 

He watched closely to make sure you weren’t in distress while he waited for you to regain your senses. He’d pushed you to your limits, pulling numerous climaxes from your body as you begged, then sobbed for relief. When you couldn’t put a coherent sentence together, when your eyes changed to an unseeing gaze, and when you could no longer move, he finally reached his own release while buried as deeply within your warmth as he could get. 

“It’s alright, I’m here,” he murmured, once again kissing your temple. 

Your lashes sparkled with unshed tears so he swiped his thumb over them, as he leaned close so that you could see him. He smiled when you blinked slowly and drew a shaky breath as your eyes began to focus on his face. Your hand weakly found his forearm, while his touch continued to send aftershocks through you. The feeling wasn’t unpleasant but it didn’t allow that tingle to dissipate.

You needed water, but however were you going to sit up long enough to drink it? There was no strength left in your body, and your tongue wouldn’t form the words. In an attempt to tell him, your fingers tightened slightly on his arm while you looked into his eyes. Your tongue licked at your dry lips, but before you could try to speak, he gave you a reassuring squeeze. 

“Here’s some water.”

Very carefully, Loki sat up in order to prop you up, and then produced a cup with the cool water. He helped you drink until you’d had your fill, then lowered you back to your pillow. Once he’d laid back down, you managed to turn so that you could cuddle against his side, with your head on his shoulder. 

_He’s ruined me,_ you thought, unaware that you'd spoken out loud. 

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” he said, softly, while stroking your hair. “Go to sleep now, sweetheart.”

As exhausted as you were, you knew that there’d be no more sleepwalking, at least not in the immediate future, _especially_ if there were any more nights like this one. 

You couldn’t help but sigh deeply before drifting off, safe in his arms.


End file.
